Werner Reich was a Holocaust survivor who endured unimaginable hardships during World War II. Born in Berlin in 1927, he and his family, who were Jewish, faced increasing persecution under the Nazi regime. They fled to Yugoslavia, but after his father's death and the German invasion, Werner was forced into hiding. He was eventually captured by the Gestapo and imprisoned in various locations, including Theresienstadt.
In 1944, Werner was deported to Auschwitz II (Birkenau), the notorious extermination camp. He was one of 89 young people selected by Dr. Mengele to survive a selection process that resulted in the deaths of thousands of others. Transferred to Auschwitz I, he later endured a grueling death march and train ride to Mauthausen concentration camp, suffering frostbite and witnessing horrific conditions.
Liberated by American forces in 1945, Werner returned to Yugoslavia but found it devastated.5 He eventually fled to England and later immigrated to the United States, where he built a new life, married, had children, and pursued a successful career as an industrial engineer.
